On Saturday (July 22), Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shashi Panja courted controversy after she tried to downplay the sexual assault on two women in West Bengal’s Malda district.
On being asked about her statement on the disturbing incident, she claimed, “This happened in a hatt (market) inside a big village, Pakuahat. There was a case of theft. People apprehended the two women, who committed the theft. This led to a scuffle with other women.”
“Bechara sabhi gareeb hai…Aab kapde nikal gaye…jitna bhi nikla hai… usko rajneeti ke chashmein se kyu dekh raha hai (All of them are poor…Yes the women were somehow disrobed… to whatever extent…there is no point in politicising the incident),” Shashi Panja trivilaised the seriousness of the crime.
#WATCH | Kolkata: "There is absolutely no need to politicise the Malda incident. It was a case of theft, where the two ladies tried to steal something from the market. A group of women tried to take law & order into their hands and started beating them. However, the police… pic.twitter.com/ZenwofcxzK
— ANI (@ANI) July 22, 2023
The TMC leader then claimed that the police came to the rescue of the two women, although no personnel were seen in the viral video. “Police tried to break the fight but they got overpowered by ladies,” she conceded.
Interestingly, Shashi Panja tried to trivialise the sexual assault by repeatedly claiming that the perpetrators were also women. “It is not right for the women to take law and order into their own hands but they also had to stop the two women from running away with stolen goods,” she said.
She further added, “Anyway, the police have initiated an inquiry into the matter and a case has been registered.” Shashi Panja serves as the Minister for Women and Child Development and Social Welfare in the West Bengal government.
The Background of the Controversy
On Friday (July 21), a disturbing video went viral on social media wherein two women were seen being stripped naked and thrashed by a frenzied mob. The incident reportedly took place on July 19, 2023.
As per a report by TV9 Bangla, the incident took place at Pakuahat in the Malda district of West Bengal. The area falls under the jurisdiction of the Bamangola police station.
According to the news outlet, the two women were allegedly caught on suspicion of pickpocketing. They were then surrounded by a mob of angry locals who thrashed the duo black and blue.
They tore the sarees of the women and stripped them naked in full public glare. The locals also pulled the hair of the victims and assaulted them with shoes. The women fought to keep the clothes on their bodies. As seen in the video, none came to the rescue of the women.
According to TV9 Bangla, the victims are said to be residents of Manikchak village of Malda. While speaking about the matter, BJP national spokesperson Amit Malviya said that the two women belonged to the tribal community.
